Hinge construction for lids



Dec. 10, 1963 M. J. Dl PIERRO HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR LIDS Filed April 2, 1962 I i a I .2 f III! llllllll lllllllllll I IIIIITIII TH lllll lillllli INVENTOR MICHAEL J. DiPIERRO j M$ v ATTORNEY United States Patent Filed Apr. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 184,224 3 Claims. (Cl. 22tl31) This invention relates to a new and improved hinge construction particularly adapted for pouring spout lids which are usually pivoted as for instance to the cover of a plastic refrigerator container or the like, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a new and improved hinge construction of increased strength by which the lid is substantially permanently attached merely by being assembled so that the lid cannot become accidentally detached as for instance in the stores in which they are sold, etc.

The objects of the invention also include the provision of a new and improved hinge construction as decribed embodying a relatively strong heavy integrally molded upstanding base member or boss on the cover, said boss hav ng cavities therein for accommodating the spindles or trunnions of a pivoted hinge construction, these cavities being molded with restricted portions forming shoulders so that when the spindles or trunnnions are thrust past the restrictive portions, they are substantially permanently retained, making it extremely difiicult for the parts to be removed or detached; and the provision of a hinge construction as above described including a relatively heavy built-up boss on the cover of the plastic container, said boss being essentially three-sided and having an undercut portion molded centrally at the rear thereof and two undercut portions more or less axially arranged with respect thereto as the sides for cooperation with a lid having a central barrel and laterally longitudinally aligned extending side spindles or trunnions, all three members of which may be snapped into the relatively heavy molded boss, and once in place said three members are held in the undercut portions which substantially permanently resist detachment of the lid therefrom.

The invention ftu'ther relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accopanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a View in side elevation illustrating the invention in position on a cover for a refrigerator dish or receptacle;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view illustrating the hinge construction, looking in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view, partly in section, and illustrating the construction and how the parts go together, and FIG. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The invention has been illustrated as applied to a hinged lid to cover the pouring spout usually found on the detachable cover of a plastic refrigerator container. In this case, the container is indicated generally at and the lid at 12, the pouring apout being of conventional design and indicated at 14. The hinged lid is generally indicated at 16 and it is provided with a rearwardly extending tongue 18 having means at its opposite end for pivotal attachment with respect to the cover member 12. This lid therefore can assume the positions shown in solid and dotted lines in FIG. 1. In solid lines the pouring spout 14 is completely covered and substantially concealed but the lid it is easily pivoted in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 to the dotted line position therein or intermediate positions to allow the contents of the container to be poured as from the spout 14.

The rearwardly extending tongue is substantially elongated, and at its opposite end it is provided with an enlarged central barrel or the like which is indicated at Zll. This barrel may or may not be substantially cylindrical but in any event it has arced side surfaces 22 and flat ends 21. Extending from the fiat ends there are a pair of spindles or trunnions 24, 24, these being substantially alike and integrally molded with the barrel and the rest of the lid. These trunnions are substantially cylindrical but of smaller diameter than the barrel 20. All of the parts in this case are of course molded of plastic of a type which can be molded in undercut form and which has a slight rubbery consistency so that it is flexible and can yield forming certain advantageous aspects of the invention to be later described.

The cover 12 is provided on its top surface with a relatively thick, heavy, upstanding boss integrally molded of plastic therewith and indicated at 26. This boss in order to provide sufiicient material, strength and rigidity, also depends somewhat as at 28 from the under side of the lid 12 (see FIG. 3). The part at 28 provides for a relatively large cavity which is indicated at 32 and conforms to the curvature of the barrel 2!) and receives the same in rotary or oscillating relationship with respect thereto. This cavity 32 is provided with an overhanging lip or shoulder 34 molded integrally with the parts as will be clear and the shoulder 34 is relatively straight (see FIG. 2) but is rounded (see FIG. 3) for a purpose to be described.

At each side of the cavity at 32 there are provided intersecting communicating smaller cavities such as are indicated at 36, these being located in the upstanding boss 26 and having restricted portions at 38, these restricted portions being rounded and forming an enlarged generally cylindrical receptacle underneath the same for the reception of the side spindles or trunnions 24.

It is noted that the diameter of the barrel 26) is Wider than the topmost portion or entrance portion defined by the lip 34 of the cavity 32 and the spindles or trunnions 24 have diameters exceeding the distance between the rounded shoulders 38, 38 but being substantially the same as the diameter of the cavity at 36. Also the diameter of the barrel 20 is substantially the same as that of the diameter of the cavity 32.

In order to assemble the lid 16 to the cover 12, it is only necessary to forcefully move the end of the lid downwardly in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 and displace the curved edges or lips forming shoulders at 34 and 38 so that the three-part hinging member snaps into the sockets provided for it by the cavities 32 and 36. This requires some force but is easily accomplished in a special jig. Thereafter it is almost impossible to extract the pivoted lid from its socket. The socket itself is rather strong and rigid, having relatively thick walls and a horseshoe-shaped construction as seen in FIG. 2 which is not easily displaced in any direction. The flat sides 21 of barrel 2% abut the ends of shoulders 38. When the lid is in the dotted line position of FIG. 1, the shoulders at 38 as Well as that at 34 provide resistance against attempted extraction of the lid from the socket, and when the lid is placed at a 45 angle according to arrow 46 in FIG. 3, the shoulder at 34 is not particularly effective but the shoulder 38 at the right-hand side of course absolutely prevents any extraction in this direction, so that it will be seen that the lid is protected in all directions. Incidentally it cannot go any further to the left in FIG. 1 than the dotted line position due to the abutment of the tongue 18 with shoulder 34.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, 1 do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A hinge construction for a pivoted lid member comprising a support, an opening in the support, the lid flexible plastic so that said barrel and said trunnions member selectively opening or closing the Opening, can be forced inwardly through the respective re- (a) an integral boss extending upwardly from said supstricted entrances snapping into said cavities and port, said boss being provided at its upper surface being substantially permanently held against removal with a plurality of cavities opening upwardly, one by said three shoulders, cavity being generally centrally located and of gen- (e) said boss having a side wall opening providing an eral cylindrical conformation, there being a generally cylindrical cavity of smaller diameter at each end thereof,

trances to each one of said three cavities, said enenlargement of the central cavity, and said lid tongue extending through said side wall opening, the shoulder at the entrance to the central cavity forming a stop limiting the pivotal motion of the lid away from the opening in the support.

trances each being of a Width less than the diameter of its respective cavity,

(0) said lid member comprising a tongue, a barrel member on said tongue at an end thereof, said barrel member being of general cylindrical form and having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the central cavity, a trunnion at each side of said barrel in general prolongation and axially aligned relative thereto, said trunnions being of lesser 20 diameter than the barrel member and the diameters 2. The hinge construction of claim 1 wherein said support is of relatively thin form having a protuberance under the boss, said protuberance providing material to accommodate the central, larger cavity.

3. The hinge construction of claim 1 wherein said boss is of general U-shape in parallelism to the general plane of the support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS of the trunnions being substantially equal to the di- 2,764,200 Gits Sept. 25, 1956 ameters of the respective smaller cavities, 2,765,094 Ryan Oct. 2, 1956 (d) said lid and said support being made of yieldable 3,045,860 Harvey July 24, 19-52 

1. A HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR A PIVOTED LID MEMBER COMPRISING A SUPPORT, AN OPENING IN THE SUPPORT, THE LID MEMBER SELECTIVELY OPENING OR CLOSING THE OPENING, (A) AN INTEGRAL BOSS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID SUPPORT, SAID BOSS BEING PROVIDED AT ITS UPPER SURFACE WITH A PLURALITY OF CAVITIES OPENING UPWARDLY, ONE CAVITY BEING GENERALLY CENTRALLY LOCATED AND OF GENERAL CYLINDRICAL CONFORMATION, THERE BEING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL CAVITY OF SMALLER DIAMETER AT EACH END THEREOF, (B) MEANS FORMING SHOULDERS DEFINING RESTRICTED ENTRANCES TO EACH ONE OF SAID THREE CAVITIES, SAID ENTRANCES EACH BEING OF A WIDTH LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF ITS RESPECTIVE CAVITY, (C) SAID LID MEMBER COMPRISING A TONGUE, A BARREL MEMBER ON SAID TONGUE AT AN END THEREOF, SAID BARREL MEMBER BEING OF GENERAL CYLINDRICAL FORM AND HAVING A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE CENTRAL CAVITY, A TRUNNION AT EACH SIDE OF SAID BARREL IN GENERAL PROLONGATION AND AXIALLY ALIGNED RELATIVE THERETO, SAID TRUNNIONS BEING OF LESSER DIAMETER THAN THE BARREL MEMBER AND THE DIAMETERS OF THE TRUNNIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETERS OF THE RESPECTIVE SMALLER CAVITIES, (D) SAID LID AND SAID SUPPORT BEING MADE OF YIELDABLE FLEXIBLE PLASTIC SO THAT SAID BARREL AND SAID TRUNNIONS CAN BE FORCED INWARDLY THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE RESTRICTED ENTRANCES SNAPPING INTO SAID CAVITIES AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERMANENTLY HELD AGAINST REMOVAL BY SAID THREE SHOULDERS, (E) SAID BOSS HAVING A SIDE WALL OPENING PROVIDING AN ENLARGEMENT OF THE CENTRAL CAVITY, AND SAID LID TONGUE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SIDE WALL OPENING, THE SHOULDER AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CENTRAL CAVITY FORMING A STOP LIMITING THE PIVOTAL MOTION OF THE LID AWAY FROM THE OPENING IN THE SUPPORT. 